451 posts · 563,011 views
Like the clever and many-armed cephalopod, Inkfish reaches into all areas of science and brings you interpretations of the newest stories.
Elizabeth Preston
451 posts
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- May 31, 2017
- 10:34 PM
- 1,003 views
Cities Are Bad for Bumblebees—Except Detroit
by Elizabeth Preston in Inkfish
For bumblebees, big cities are a bummer. Layers of asphalt, concrete, brick and metal add up to fewer places for the insects to nest. But one big city—Detroit—reverses that trend. That means shrinking cities might be a growing opportunity for at-risk pollinators.
Bumblebees (species with the genus name Bombus) are, like other bees, in trouble. Their numbers and diversity are decreasing across North America. Other native wild bees—the insects that have been living here and pollinatin........ Read more »
Glaum, P., Simao, M., Vaidya, C., Fitch, G., & Iulinao, B. (2017) Big city Bombus: using natural history and land-use history to find significant environmental drivers in bumble-bee declines in urban development . Royal Society Open Science, 4(5), 170156. DOI: 10.1098/rsos.170156
- March 31, 2017
- 11:16 AM
- 469 views
The Snail That Only Lives in a Hole inside Another Hole under a Sea Urchin
by Elizabeth Preston in Inkfish
If you think house hunting is hard, consider the plight of this snail. It lives only in tide pools in southern Japan. Within those tide pools, it only lives in holes carved out of rock—specifically, holes dug by sea urchins. But it can only move into one of those holes after the hole-digging urchin has moved out. When a second, differently shaped sea urchin moves into the hole, it leaves a gap between its spiny body and the wall of the burrow. It's this nook that the snail snuggles int........ Read more »
Yamamori, L., & Kato, M. (2017) The macrobenthic community in intertidal sea urchin pits and an obligate inquilinism of a limpet-shaped trochid gastropod in the pits. Marine Biology, 164(3). DOI: 10.1007/s00227-017-3091-3
- March 28, 2017
- 01:42 PM
- 445 views
Caterpillars Recruit Friends with Anal Scraping
by Elizabeth Preston in Inkfish
Newly hatched caterpillars look helpless: they're teensy, soft and juicy, with no parent around for protection. But certain young insects, the masked birch caterpillars, are more capable than they seem. They gather in groups to keep themselves safe. To form those groups, they use a previously undiscovered language of buzzes, vibrations, head banging and butt scraping.
The species, Drepana arcuata, passes through five caterpillar life stages (called instars) on its way to becoming a li... Read more »
Yadav, C., Guedes, R., Matheson, S., Timbers, T., & Yack, J. (2017) Invitation by vibration: recruitment to feeding shelters in social caterpillars. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 71(3). DOI: 10.1007/s00265-017-2280-x
- February 28, 2017
- 03:00 PM
- 443 views
A Weekend Camping Trip Is Enough to Reset Your Internal Clock
by Elizabeth Preston in Inkfish
Humans have been fighting our internal clocks ever since we invented sitting around a campfire. We have powerful natural rhythms that keep us on a 24-hour cycle; if you've ever been steamrollered by jet lag after an intercontinental flight, you know how powerful those rhythms are. But we muffle them with caffeine, alarm clocks, and electric lights. It's easy to undo the damage, though. One weekend of camping can do the trick—and it'll even cure your case of the Mondays.
In 2013, rese........ Read more »
Stothard ER, McHill AW, Depner CM, Birks BR, Moehlman TM, Ritchie HK, Guzzetti JR, Chinoy ED, LeBourgeois MK, Axelsson J.... (2017) Circadian Entrainment to the Natural Light-Dark Cycle across Seasons and the Weekend. Current biology : CB, 27(4), 508-513. PMID: 28162893
- February 20, 2017
- 03:30 PM
- 457 views
This Squid Gives Better Side-Eye Than You
by Elizabeth Preston in Inkfish
Yes, this cephalopod is looking at you funny. It's a kind of cockeyed squid—an animal that looks like some jokester misassembled a Mr. Potato Head. One of the cockeyed squid's eyes is big, bulging and yellow. The other is flat and beady. After studying more than 25 years' worth of undersea video footage, scientists think they know why.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) in California has been dropping robotic submarines into the ocean for decades. The footage from th........ Read more »
Thomas KN, Robison BH, & Johnsen S. (2017) Two eyes for two purposes: in situ evidence for asymmetric vision in the cockeyed squids Histioteuthis heteropsis and Stigmatoteuthis dofleini. Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences, 372(1717). PMID: 28193814
- January 24, 2017
- 11:44 AM
- 662 views
Whip Spiders Use Their Feet to Smell Their Way Home
by Elizabeth Preston in Inkfish
After a late dinner, a jungle-dwelling whip spider can't rely on an Uber driver to get her home. She has to find the way herself, in the pitch-black, picking her way over thick undergrowth to reach the tree she lives on. It's a trick she can even manage when plucked from her home tree and tossed into the forest at random, up to 10 meters away. Now scientists think whip spiders don't use her eyes for this homing feat—they use their feet.
Whip spiders hunt by night and hunker down at dawn ........ Read more »
Bingman VP, Graving JM, Hebets EA, & Wiegmann DD. (2016) Importance of the antenniform legs, but not vision, for homing by the neotropical whip spider, Paraphrynus laevifrons. The Journal of experimental biology. PMID: 28011820
- December 12, 2016
- 04:16 PM
- 872 views
Bacteria Help Pitcher Plants Trap Prey
by Elizabeth Preston in Inkfish
Pity the insect that tumbles into a pitcher plant's trap. The slippery walls and waiting pool of water ensure it won't clamber back out. There's nothing left to do but wait to be digested.
The California pitcher plant (Darlingtonia californica) is also called the cobra lily for its curled-over shape that hides its exit from its victims. Unlike other pitcher plants, it doesn't fill its trap from above with rainwater but from below, drawing water up with its roots. But like others, it seems... Read more »
Armitage DW. (2016) Bacteria facilitate prey retention by the pitcher plant Darlingtonia californica. Biology letters, 12(11). PMID: 27881762
- December 2, 2016
- 02:40 PM
- 733 views
Parkour Athletes Teach Scientists about Swinging Apes
by Elizabeth Preston in Inkfish
"I was at a conference, and a colleague was talking about the locomotion of great apes in the trees," says Lewis Halsey, a physiologist at the University of Roehampton in London. The colleague mentioned that it's tough to measure how these animals use energy. That's when Halsey had an epiphany. "I was working with parkour athletes on another project," he says, studying how much energy the athletes used while jumping and climbing around a city. Why not use these human athletes to stand in........ Read more »
Halsey LG, Coward SR, & Thorpe SK. (2016) Bridging the gap: parkour athletes provide new insights into locomotion energetics of arboreal apes. Biology letters, 12(11). PMID: 27881766
- November 25, 2016
- 04:48 PM
- 776 views
When Facing Predators, Male Monkeys Do Whatever Females Tell Them
by Elizabeth Preston in Inkfish
In the forests of West Africa, bands of handsome primates called Diana monkeys roam the tree branches. Each group has just one male and several females with their babies. The tradeoff for his apparently cushy living situation is that the male has to chase off predators. His female companions use specific calls to tell him what kinds of threats are nearby. And he responds to whatever they tell him—even if it goes against his own judgment.
Diana monkeys (Cercopithecus diana) of both sex... Read more »
Stephan, C., & Zuberbühler, K. (2016) Persistent Females and Compliant Males Coordinate Alarm Calling in Diana Monkeys. Current Biology, 26(21), 2907-2912. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.08.033
- November 17, 2016
- 07:06 PM
- 874 views
Breeding Made Dogs Less Athletic
by Elizabeth Preston in Inkfish
Is your dog a natural athlete or a couch pup-tato? The answer might depend on how far removed it is from its wild ancestors. Dogs that are more similar to wolves have kept more of their natural athleticism, while breeding has rendered other types of dogs a little...less impressive.
Caleb Bryce, a PhD candidate at UC Santa Cruz, says his study of canine athletes came about serendipitously. "We were just hoping to calibrate a new wildlife collar we’ve developed," he says; he planned to te........ Read more »
Bryce CM, & Williams TM. (2016) Comparative locomotor costs of domestic dogs reveal energetic economy of wolf-like breeds. The Journal of experimental biology. PMID: 27811300
- November 7, 2016
- 03:39 PM
- 737 views
Snakes Defend Themselves with Shape-Shifting Eyes
by Elizabeth Preston in Inkfish
Superman donned glasses to disguise himself and blend in with other people. One snake hides its identity using a similar trick: when threatened, it changes the shape of its pupils. This makes it resemble a much more dangerous animal.
The mock viper (Psammodynastes pulverulentus) is mild-mannered, not superpowered. It's common across much of Asia, and—as you might have guessed from its name—looks a lot like a viper. Actual vipers are a widespread family of venomous snakes. Like true v........ Read more »
Silva, I., Crane, M., Artchawakom, T., Suwanwaree, P., & Strine, C. (2016) More than meets the eye: change in pupil shape by a mock viper. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 14(8), 453-454. DOI: 10.1002/fee.1420
- October 27, 2016
- 11:08 PM
- 702 views
Dogs Do as You Do, Not as You Say
by Elizabeth Preston in Inkfish
Italy's school for water rescue dogs, the Scuola Italiana Cani Salvataggio, has trained hundreds of animals in canine heroics. The dogs work on Italian police and coast guard boats, and with fire departments and the navy. They can even jump into the ocean from a hovering helicopter to save a person.
They're pros at taking commands from humans. So researchers wondered if the dogs could help them understand what kind of command works best: Words? Or gestures?
Biagio D'Aniello, a biologis... Read more »
D'Aniello B, Scandurra A, Alterisio A, Valsecchi P, & Prato-Previde E. (2016) The importance of gestural communication: a study of human-dog communication using incongruent information. Animal cognition, 19(6), 1231-1235. PMID: 27338818
- September 1, 2016
- 11:22 AM
- 835 views
Cuttlefish Can Count to Five
by Elizabeth Preston in Inkfish
Don't look now, but this spineless sea creature may be able to count better than your toddler.
Cuttlefish need to be savvy if they want to eat. They're always on the lookout for shrimp, fish or crabs. When a cuttlefish spots a potential victim, it shoots out two specialized, sucker-bearing tentacles and nabs it. Since these hunters have to make constant judgments about which prey are worth targeting, it would make sense for them to have advanced cognitive skills—say, the ability to cou........ Read more »
Yang TI, & Chiao CC. (2016) Number sense and state-dependent valuation in cuttlefish. Proceedings. Biological sciences / The Royal Society, 283(1837). PMID: 27559063
- August 25, 2016
- 04:48 PM
- 880 views
Polar Bears Stubbornly Stick to Habitats, Even as Ice Melts
by Elizabeth Preston in Inkfish
"I don't know what you're talking about," said the polar bear. "Everything seems normal to me! Watch out for that puddle."
Up in the Arctic, things are getting slushy. But some polar bears are refusing to change their ways. Instead of compromising on where they spend their time, they're clinging to the icy habitats they've always loved. As those habitats keep shrinking, though, the bears will eventually find things too crowded and uncomfortable to ignore.
Researchers divide polar bear... Read more »
Wilson RR, Regehr EV, Rode KD, & St Martin M. (2016) Invariant polar bear habitat selection during a period of sea ice loss. Proceedings. Biological sciences / The Royal Society, 283(1836). PMID: 27534959
- August 17, 2016
- 12:02 PM
- 965 views
Goblin Shark Gives a Lesson in Dismantling Your Face to Eat
by Elizabeth Preston in Inkfish
The goblin shark is a weird deep-sea creature first discovered off the coast of Japan in 1898. It has a ghoulish appearance, thanks to jaws that can stretch well away from the rest of its head. Scientists have assumed the goblin shark uses this trick to eat—but until recently, no one had actually watched one catching prey in the wild.
In 2008 and 2011, divers working with the Japanese television broadcaster NHK managed to capture two goblin sharks (Mitsukurina owstoni). Before rerele........ Read more »
Nakaya, K., Tomita, T., Suda, K., Sato, K., Ogimoto, K., Chappell, A., Sato, T., Takano, K., & Yuki, Y. (2016) Slingshot feeding of the goblin shark Mitsukurina owstoni (Pisces: Lamniformes: Mitsukurinidae). Scientific Reports, 27786. DOI: 10.1038/srep27786
- August 4, 2016
- 11:15 AM
- 907 views
These Baby Fish Are Born Knowing How to Kill
by Elizabeth Preston in Inkfish
Some babies are born totally useless (I'm looking at you, Homo sapiens). Others can wobble upright shortly after birth and start teetering around. And still other animals are almost frighteningly precocious.
For example, the metallic livebearer, a little golden fish native to Cuba, hatches from an egg while still inside its mother. That means the mom gives birth to live young. The more traditional fish-y way is to lay eggs. But some other fish also bear live young, including guppies a........ Read more »
Lankheet, M., Stoffers, T., van Leeuwen, J., & Pollux, B. (2016) Acquired versus innate prey capturing skills in super-precocial live-bearing fish. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 283(1834), 20160972. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.0972
- July 27, 2016
- 03:38 PM
- 885 views
Deer Line Up North-South, Whether Relaxing or Running
by Elizabeth Preston in Inkfish
If you're ever lost in a remote European forest, you might be able to get your bearings by finding a herd of roe deer. These animals like to align themselves roughly north-south, whether they're standing still or fleeing danger.
Roe deer are small, reddish or grayish grazers common in Europe and Asia. Petr Obleser, of the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, and his coauthors studied the behavior of these skittish herbivores to look for evidence that they can sense the earth's ma........ Read more »
Obleser, P., Hart, V., Malkemper, E., Begall, S., Holá, M., Painter, M., Červený, J., & Burda, H. (2016) Compass-controlled escape behavior in roe deer. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 70(8), 1345-1355. DOI: 10.1007/s00265-016-2142-y
- July 22, 2016
- 01:25 PM
- 1,010 views
Video of Evaporating Booze Droplet Looks Like a Tiny Planet
by Elizabeth Preston in Inkfish
Most of us don't give much thought to drops of liquid that end up outside our drinking glasses. But physicists care a lot about liquid droplets, and study their whole lifespans—from the first splash or drip to the moment a drop disappears.
Liquids that contain three different substances, though, haven't been studied as much. Detlef Lohse, a physicist at the University of Twente in the Netherlands, and his colleagues took a deep dive into one such liquid: ouzo.
Ouzo is a mixture of wate... Read more »
Tan H, Diddens C, Lv P, Kuerten JG, Zhang X, & Lohse D. (2016) Evaporation-triggered microdroplet nucleation and the four life phases of an evaporating Ouzo drop. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. PMID: 27418601
- July 13, 2016
- 04:59 PM
- 1,017 views
A New Tool for Studying Gorilla Health: Half-Chewed Food
by Elizabeth Preston in Inkfish
In the mountains of Central Africa, scientists who study critically endangered gorillas have a new tool. They've discovered that they can learn what viruses gorillas are carrying by stealthily collecting half-chewed plants the apes leave behind.
If this sounds reminiscent of that class clown at the third-grade lunch table who would ask if you liked seafood and then say "See? Food!" and open his mouth wide to display his sloppy Joe slurry, don't worry—mountain gorillas are vegetarians. ........ Read more »
Smiley Evans T, Gilardi KV, Barry PA, Ssebide BJ, Kinani JF, Nizeyimana F, Noheri JB, Byarugaba DK, Mudakikwa A, Cranfield MR.... (2016) Detection of viruses using discarded plants from wild mountain gorillas and golden monkeys. American journal of primatology. PMID: 27331804
- July 6, 2016
- 12:29 PM
- 1,278 views
Fish May Lose Their Jelly Friends in a Changing Ocean
by Elizabeth Preston in Inkfish
In the open ocean, it's good to have friends. Some young fish like to buddy up with stinging jellies to stay safe from predators. Hiding under the shelter of a jellyfish's bell, they can grow up unharmed (as long as they dodge its tentacles). These fish include some species that humans rely on for food. But in a warming ocean, that buddy system may fall apart.
Many types of fish take advantage of hop-on jelly trolleys. Ivan Nagelkerken, a marine biologist at the University of Adelaide in ... Read more »
Nagelkerken I, Pitt KA, Rutte MD, & Geertsma RC. (2016) Ocean acidification alters fish-jellyfish symbiosis. Proceedings. Biological sciences / The Royal Society, 283(1833). PMID: 27358374
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